Video

Dexter and Transmedia – Part I

Last week we wrote about Transmedia, and how the “gap” between our dig­i­tal and phys­i­cal worlds is now closing very quickly. As a fun experiment we reached several people with two questions regarding Transmedia and the super awesome Showtime show Dexter. We wanted to see how the current Dexter super fans would like to alter the show’s sto­ry­line, influ­enc­e the characters deci­sions or become a char­ac­ter them­selves. The answers are unedited. The second question/answers will be posted later this week. The conclusion? Read below to find out the answers to the first questions

Question: If you could change/modify/manipulate a Dexter episode using any media or technology what would you do?

• The show is based on the perspective of Dexter himself. When Dexter’s “thinking voice” speaks (his voice over), we are learning his purest true self and motivations. It would be interesting to have some episodes that have other characters have their own perspectives, and we hear their own inner voice in the show, and get to know their own absolute truth. I think it would help develop some other characters and make them feel a little less cliche overall. (PC)

• Dexter finds out that he has a homozygous twin. Dexter didn’t know about him because police, in order to protect this guy, changed name and state after the brutal murder of their mum. Like him, he’s a killer and at the same time a priest in a small village of Mormons. (GD)

• I don’t think I would want to change/modify/manipulate an episode of Dexter or anything else for that matter. When I watch tv, especially dramas and comedies, I like being able to relax and have a story told to me. I like not knowing what’s going to happen or have any control over the eventual outcome. This is why I don’t like those contest reality shows where you can vote for people to win or watch people all the time on cameras, like Big Brother for example. If I am going to watch tv or a movie, I just want to sit back and let it happen. And I also want to watch it on a TV!! Not a computer, phone, iPad, tablet, etc… a real TV! (EO)

• I think audience participation shows that the script isn’t strong enough and the writers are looking for ideas, it’s their story, let them tell it. (RN)

• Experience “Dexter” episode like an interactive novel or a computer game, where reader/player is able to make decisions in behalf of the character and his choices develop the plot in one of few predefinied ways, creating the illusion of controlling how the story develops. (DM)

• I would like to have access via the Internet. I would select any episode and make it darker. I liked it better when Dexter felt nothing. He has become to “normal.” (AL)

The Mutoscope, an early motion picture device, was patented by Herman Casler in 1894. Cheaper and simpler than Edison’s Kinetoscope, it did NOT project on a screen, and it provided viewing to only one person at a time. The system was marketed by the American Mutoscope Company and quickly dominated the coin-in-the-slot “peep-show” business.

I am in love with the simplicity of this device, the way the viewer interacts with the story by using a hand crank. And story is what really matters. In under 60 seconds (the “movie” starts below at 00:34) we get to see a “crazy wheel” running free through a small town, and the villagers trying to catch it. See, this is about storytelling, not technology. It’s not about sensor size, firmware updates, bigger-is-better, or faster-is-better. It is about the story, something I feel we have been loosing at an ever-increasing speed. If you are looking for some inspiration or motivation, look no further.

Events like hurricane Sandy make us revalue some of our priorities, the real significance of things we often take for granted, like running water, electricity, and true friends. In a similar way the Mutoscope hit a nerve. For some strange reason, the idea of producing something simply for fun or pleasure is becoming obsolete. We should, and we will, go back to the basics. Work harder on telling more engaging stories, developing new angles, communicating better ideas and asking deeper questions. Technology is great, but it is not the be-all and end-all that most photographers assume it to be. I’m sure some of you feel the same way. Want even more inspiration? Check this out.